Best Pumpkin Cake
Cake
4 eggs
1- 2/3 cup white sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
1 (15 oz.) can pumpkin purée
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 can of sweetened condensed milk
Cream Cheese Frosting
6oz softened cream cheese
6oz softened butter
3 cups powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Preheat your oven to 350F.
Grease a 9x13" baking pan with a non-stick cooking spray.
In a large bowl, mix eggs, vegetable oil, sugar, and pumpkin purée. Mix in flour, cinnamon, pumpkin
pie spice, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
Pour into a greased baking pan and bake for 35 minutes.
Pour the half of the can of sweetened condensed milk evenly over the top of the still HOT cake. Allow
to sit about 30 minutes before frosting.
Frosting
Using a hand or stand mixer, beat the cream cheese until it reaches a whipped texture.
Add butter and do the same. Add vanilla extract and one cup of powdered sugar at a time until
frosting is creamy.
Gooey and Cheesy Warm Bacon Dip
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 cups sour cream (I used light)
1½ cups shredded cheddar cheese
6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
½ cup sliced green onion
Preheat oven to 400 F.
Combine softened cream cheese, sour cream, cheddar cheese, bacon and green onion. Spoon mixture
into a 1-quart baking dish and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until cheese is bubbling and hot.
Serve with bread slices, crackers, or veggies.
Authentic Watergate Salad
1 (4 ounce) package instant pistachio pudding mix
1 (20 ounce) can crushed pineapple with juice, undrained
1 cup miniature marshmallow
1⁄2 cup chopped nuts
1 3⁄4 cups non-dairy whipped topping, thawed
Stir pudding mix, pineapple with juice, marshmallows and nuts in a large bowl until well blended.
Gently stir in whipped topping.
Refrigerate one hour or until ready to serve.
Apple- Cranberry Coleslaw
1 (14 oz.) bag 3-color coleslaw mix
1 large apple, chopped
½ c. dried cranberries
½ c. chopped walnuts
4 green onions, sliced
Dressing:
¾ c. lowfat mayo
¾ c. plain yogurt (not Greek)
6 Tbsp. honey
¾ tsp. ginger
Combine coleslaw ingredients in a large bowl.
In a small bowl, combine dressing ingredients and mix well.
Pour dressing over coleslaw and stir until evenly coated.
Caramel Apple Fruit Pizza
Sugar Cookie Crust:
¼ cup butter
¼ cup shortening
¾ cup granulated sugar
1 egg
½ tsp vanilla
½ tsp salt
½ tsp baking powder
1¼ cups flour
Caramel Apple Fruit Pizza:
2 large apples, diced (about 2 cups)
1½ cups club soda water
½ cup chopped pecans, toasted
½ cup caramel sauce
Cream Cheese Frosting:
4 oz package cream cheese, softened
¼ cup butter, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 tbsp half-n-half, if necessary
Cream Cheese Frosting:
Beat the cream cheese until smooth.
Beat in the softened butter.
Mix in powdered sugar.
Add vanilla and half-n-half, if necessary.
Sugar Cookie Crust:
Beat the butter and shortening together.
Add granulated sugar and cream together for 2-3 minutes until lighter in color and fluffier in texture.
Mix in the egg and vanilla.
Mix in the baking powder, salt, and flour.
Press dough into a greased 9-inch spring-form pan.
Bake at 375 degrees for 15-17 minutes.
Assembly:
Put the diced apples in the club soda water immediately after dicing them. Soak them in the water for
about 3 minutes and then drain the water.
Spread the prepared cream cheese frosting (recipe below) on the cooled sugar cookie crust.
Top with the diced apples, sprinkle with chopped pecans and drizzle the caramel sauce over the top.
Spiced Hot Fruit Bake
2 cups sliced apples
2 cups green pear slices
1 1/2 cup fresh cranberries
1 cup pineapple chunks (save the juice)
lemon juice
1/3 cup coconut sugar
1 tbsp agave or honey
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 stick melted butter or 4 tbsp melted earth balance vegan butter
2 tbsp melted coconut oil
1/3 cup chopped walnuts
Preheat oven to 300F.
In a large bowl, toss fruit with 1-2 tsp lemon juice. Set aside.
In another glass bowl, combine your melted butter, sugar, spices, and coconut oil.
Add honey and a little bit of your leftover pineapple juice. Add the sugar/butter mixture and coat
evenly.
Pour fruit evenly in a 9x12 baking dish, then pour leftover sugar/butter/oil mixture on top.
Bake for 1 hr.
Remove from the oven, add the nuts, mix fruit, and serve.
Corn Casserole
2 cans Whole Kernel Corn
1 can Cream Style Corn
1 Box Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix
1 Cup Sour Cream
1 Stick butter (1/2 cup)
In a large bowl, stir together the 3 cans of corn, corn muffin mix, sour cream and melted butter.
Pour into a greased pan.
Bake for 45 minutes or until golden brown in a 350 degree oven.
Remove from oven, sprinkle with grated cheese. Return to oven for 5-10 minutes or until cheese is
melted.
Pumpkin Crunch Cake
1 box yellow cake mix
1 (16 oz.) can pumpkin
1 (12 oz.) can evaporated milk
3 eggs
1 1/2 cup sugar
4 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup melted butter
whipped topping
Preheat oven to 350F.
Grease bottom of 9x13 pan.
Combine pumpkin, evaporated milk, eggs, sugar, pumpkin pie spice and salt in bowl then pour it into
pan.
Sprinkle dry yellow cake mix evenly over pumpkin mixture.
Sprinkle chopped pecans and walnuts over the cake mix.
Drizzle melted butter evenly over everything.
Bake 55 minutes or until top is turning golden brown.
Cool completely, cut and serve with whipped topping.
Refrigerate leftovers.
Holiday Sangria (Liquor Store)
1 bottle white wine
1 bottle sparkling cider
2 clementine oranges, sliced
1 granny smith apple, chopped
1 gala apple, chopped
1-2 cups cranberries
Combine wine and cider in a pitcher.
Add chopped apples and clementine’s.
Add cranberries.
Stir well.
Chill until serving.
Simple Is Best Dressing
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter plus more for baking dish
1 pound good-quality day-old white bread, torn into 1-inch pieces (about 10 cups)
2 1/2 cups chopped yellow onions
1 1/2 cups 1/4-inch slices celery
1/2 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
2 TBS chopped fresh sage
1 TBS chopped fresh rosemary
1 TBS chopped fresh thyme
2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth, divided
2 large eggs
Preheat oven to 250°.
Butter a 13x9x2-inch baking dish and set aside. Scatter bread in a single layer on a rimmed baking
sheet. Bake stirring occasionally, until dried out, about 1 hour. Let cool; transfer to a very large bowl.
Meanwhile, melt 3/4 cup butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat; add onions and celery. Stir
often until just beginning to brown, about 10 minutes. Add to bowl with bread; stir in herbs, salt, and
pepper. Drizzle in 1 1/4 cups broth and toss gently. Let cool.
Preheat oven to 350°. Whisk 1 1/4 cups broth and eggs in a small bowl. Add to bread mixture; fold
gently until thoroughly combined. Transfer to prepared dish, cover with foil, and bake until an instantread thermometer inserted into the center of dressing registers 160°, about 40 minutes.
Argentinian Stuffed Flank Steak
2 lbs. flank steak
¼ cup olive oil
5 cloves garlic, minced
¼ cup cilantro, chopped
¼ cup parsley, chopped
½ tsp salt
½ tsp ground black pepper
pinch of red pepper flakes
2 hard boiled eggs, quartered
½ green bell pepper, sliced
½ red bell pepper, sliced
Prepare your grill for cooking over medium direct heat.
Start by butterflying the steak by slicing it and opening it up like a book. If you want to make the meat
thinner, you can pound it with a mallet to flatten it out and even out the thickness.
In a small bowl mix together the olive oil, cilantro, parsley, garlic, salt, black pepper and red pepper
flakes. Pour the cilantro and parsley mixture over the flank steak, and brush it evenly over the entire
surface of the steak.
Arrange the quartered eggs in 3 rows across the flank steak at different intervals. Repeat with the
sliced peppers. Carefully roll the meat up over the filling, I did it from left to right, across the grain, jelly
roll style. Tie with butcher's twine to hold it together. Season the outside of the roll generously with
salt and pepper.
The temperature on your grill should read around 400 F degrees. Place the roll on the grill and grill on
both sides for about 4 or 5 minutes per side, about 20 minutes in total.
Let the roll rest for 15 minutes before slicing into it.
Sweet Potato & Cauliflower Mash
2 pounds sweet potatoes
1 pound cauliflower florets
3 tablespoons milk of choice
¼ cup plain Greek yogurt
½ teaspoon garlic powder
Salt and pepper to taste
Fresh chopped parsley for garnish
Peel and cut sweet potato into 1 ½ -inch chunks.
In large pot with steam basked, steam sweet potato and cauliflower with 1 inch of water in bottom of
pot. Vegetables will be ready in about 10 – 12 minutes, or when fork tender.
Place in large bowl and mash the potato and cauliflower with the milk. Stir in the Greek yogurt, garlic
powder, salt and pepper. If too thick, add milk 1 tablespoons at a time, until desired consistency is
achieved. Garnish with chopped fresh parsley.
Twice Baked Potato Casserole
7 medium red potatoes - baked
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 lb bacon, cooked and crumbled
3 c sour cream
2 c mozzarella cheese, shredded
2 c cheddar cheese, shredded
3 green onion, sliced
Cut baked potatoes into 1 inch cubes. Place half in a
greased 13 x 9 baking dish.
Sprinkle with half the salt, pepper and bacon.
Top with half the sour cream and then the cheeses. Repeat layers.
Bake uncovered at 350° for 20-25 minutes or until cheeses are melted. Sprinkle with the sliced onion.